Many forms of bracket arrangements have been proposed in the art for supporting a shelf, or the like, selectively within in a range of angular orientations. Typical are the disclosures of the following United States Patents:
Higley U.S. Pat. No. 306,335 provides a system in which pairs of brackets are affixed to a wall portion; the shelf component is pivoted at one end to the upper brackets and, at its opposite end, to diagonal braces which are, in turn, pivoted to the lower brackets.
A shelf bracket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 350,031, to Bacon, which consist of a vertical leg, a laterally extending arm, or shelf support, pivoted to the top of the vertical leg, and a diagonal brace pivoted to the bottom; the upper end of the brace fits into each of a number of apertures in the shelf support, to change its angular orientation.
Gardner U.S. Pat. No. 749,670 shows a bracket which employs a wall-mounted vertical support and a slotted lateral support, the latter having a series of apertures spaced along its length. A diagonal brace is pivoted to the vertical support, and has a locking pin at its outer end for selective engagement in any of the spaced apertures, thereby enabling variation of the angular orientation of the laterally extending support.
The bracket provided in Soucey U.S. Pat. No. 855,354 consists of a wall plate hinged to a shelf plate; each plate has an integral brace section of arcuate form, the free ends of which overlap for interengagement in a range of selected positions, so as to vary the orientation of the shelf plate.
The adjustable bracket shown in Lindberg U.S. Pat. No. 945,280 consists of a mounting piece and a shelf-supporting piece, the latter having an arcuately arranged series of apertures for receipt of a removable pin, with orientation of the supporting piece being dependent upon which of the apertures is engaged.
Whealen U.S. Pat. No. 1,232,874 employs wall-mounted stanchions and shelf-supporting elements secured thereto; a diagonal brace is pivotably mounted at one end in any of the aperatures provided in the flange of the shelf supporting element, and is engaged at the other end in any of the apertures of the stanchion, for selective positioning of the shelf.
Orton et al U.S. Pat. No. 1,852,723 discloses a collapsible table arrangement in which a diagonal brace serves to support the table, which is pivotably mounted to wall structure by suitable brackets.
In Douglas U.S. Pat. No. 2,483,758, an adjustable shelf bracket is shown in which the opposite ends of a strut are attached to blocks, which are slidably connected to hinged elongated members; the strut can be locked in each of a range of positions on the hinged members.
The shelf support assembly described in Bellon et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,486 employs wall-mounted stanchions, which carry laterally extending shelf support elements. A diagonal brace extends downwardly from a flange on the shelf support element, and can be affixed at different points on the stanchion to vary the angular orientation of the shelf; an outer portion of the brace has an edge configuration consisting of straight and curved elements.
Rodgers U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,254 shows a collapsible barrel rack in which horizontal arms are hinged at one end to a wall-mounted bracket, and are supported at their outer ends by a pair of legs, the latter extending diagonally to seat within a lower support bracket.
Larson U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,382 discloses an arrangement in which a first pair of brackets carry elongated shelf-support arms, and a second pair thereof serve to support the lower ends of diagonal braces which are pivoted to the arms; selective placement of the brackets on a pegboard determines the angular orientation of the shelf.
A plastic display bin is shown in Field U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,272, which is carried by shelf-mounting elements secured on stanchions; components of the mounting brackets are pivotably connected to one another, and are capable of being fixed in different relative positions so as to vary the angular orientation of the supported bin.
Despite the level of activity in the art evidenced by the foregoing, a need remains for an uncomplicated and yet effective assembly by which a shelf or the like can readily be disposed in each of a number of different angular orientations, and it is therefore a broad object of the present invention to provide the same.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide such an assembly comprised of only a few pieces of uncomplicated construction, which are readily adjusted with respect to one another to provide secure support in each of a multiplicity of positions.
Additional objects are to provide a novel wall shelf system which employs an assembly having the above-described features and advantages, which system is of simple construction and is yet highly effective and secure.
Further objects of the invention are to provide such an assembly and system which are relatively facile and inexpensive to manufacture.